


Lavandula

by yobirin



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Hanahaki Disease, Happy Ending, Kissing, M/M, Nonbinary Character, ShuMika Week 2020 Day 4: Hanahaki/Role Swap, can you fucking believe this, dont worry people this is a hanahaki happy ending household, i struggled for the whole month to think of something and inspiration got to me two days before, shmk2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:20:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25602718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yobirin/pseuds/yobirin
Summary: They’ve never been his favorite flower—he’s never paid them much attention, really.Until they started spilling from his lips.
Relationships: Itsuki Shuu/Kagehira Mika
Comments: 8
Kudos: 46





	Lavandula

**Author's Note:**

> shu! mika! week! shu! mika! week! i wrote this in 6 hours and spent the next day proofreading it, that was a Rush i didnt expect to go thru lmao
> 
> (hanakotoba taken from the wikipedia page on hanakotoba and from [here](https://hananokotoba.com/the-language-of-flowers))
> 
> small edit, just for clarification: in this, i hc'd mika as a nonbinary person who goes by he/him (no im not projecting. shut up)

It occurs to Mika one day, how big of a declaration of love lavenders are.

They’ve never been his favorite flower—he’s never paid them much attention, really, until they started spilling from his lips.

Love is a weird thing, isn’t it?

And so, he asks Tsumu-chan-senpai, goes to the library and looks up some simple hanakotoba.

He starts by looking up some of the flowers they’ve used in outfits before. Spider lilies, for the haunted house, suddenly made that much more sense. At last, he looks for the meaning of lavenders, arriving on… 

> _ラベンダー_  
>  _Lavandula, commonly known as lavender. Meaning faithfulness, devotion, silence, and sometimes distrust._

Well.

He definitely knows which ones of these matter to him, anyway.

People say that sometimes, if the host is strong enough, simply confessing to their crush is enough to rid them of the flowers. Having the person they love accept their feelings is enough for them and the flowers stop growing. But more often than not, those who do confess can’t take the rejection, and their condition only worsens.

It’s almost as if the flowers themselves are screaming “please accept me” when they bloom—almost like a romantic gesture.

They scream using their host’s throat if you think about it.

Almost as if they’re trying to help you get rid of them, too. Almost as if they know.

He coughs petals that seem like hibiscus and decides that the flowers agree with him. “ _They’re only tryin’ t’ be gentle_ ”, he thinks.

It’s probably creepy of him to find comfort in these flowers. Most hosts hate them, despise what they do to their body. Mika thinks it might be a price to pay, for having flowers declare your love in your stead. The shame, the pain you feel, is all yours. The flowers appeared because they heard your heart (your love) and how you wanted to be loved back.

Maybe he’s just stupid, but he prefers to think this way.

Shu calls him then, asking where the hell he’s been instead of in the club room waiting to go home with him, together.

He coughs on his sleeve before answering, and the petal that comes out this time is purple and big, probably a pansy. 

“‘M sorry, Oshi-san. ‘Was lookin’ fer somethin’ in the library. ‘M done now.”

He feels Shu nod, despite not being there. “Come quickly, then. I’m already at the gates, and if you take too long I’ll simply go on ahead.”

Mika hums in agreement, hanging up. He looks at the book on the table once more and decides he’s borrowing it.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Mika is silent the whole way home. He can tell Shu has somewhat noticed, but neither of them say anything about it.

He realizes that his earlier tangent got him nowhere, still indecisive about what to do with these flowers growing in his lungs. He supposes… his Oshi-san has never tried to throw him away. Not when he missed steps in practice, not when he pricked his finger, not even when he confessed that he neither felt like a man nor a woman.

He figures not getting thrown away is as much of a positive response as he will get, and that’s enough for him. Shu may not love him romantically, but he’s fine with simply being by his side.

“‘Til the pits of hell”, as he’s said before.

Once they get home, their movements are almost robotic; they go upstairs, change into comfortable clothes, and come back down, ready to start making dinner. Shu always does most of the job then, giving Mika instructions and sometimes teaching him what to do on the stove. It’s already routine, and it calms Mika down completely, to the point he almost forgets about the flowers.

Keyword being ‘almost’.

He thinks he has probably ignored the disease for too long when Shu asks him to grab the soy sauce in the fridge and instead of doing so Mika hunches over and coughs up a few violet blossoms, his mind hastily providing him a picture of the same flower, listed under flowers with meanings related to “truth”.

“ _Tell him_ ”, the flowers are trying to say, “ _you have to tell him now_.”

He understands why they are so troublesome, now.

“Kage—” Shu doesn’t bother finishing, opting to turn off the stove, putting the pan away so he can safely turn to Mika. “What is…”

“‘M sorry, Oshi-san,” he starts, as calmly as he possibly can, “these’ve been scratchin’ my throat fer weeks now…”

Shu’s scowl deepens as he presses a hand to Mika’s chest. “You should have told me from day one.”

He chuckles, answering sheepishly, “nnah, tellin’ the person himself coulda been real bad, y’know? I coulda been heartbroken, an’ then the flowers woulda gotten worse.”

He can’t read Shu’s expression, too many emotions flashing across his face. He recognizes the last one, however, as a smile graces over Shu’s face: relief.

He blushes then, making Mika look down in his own embarrassment. “I…” he starts, “feared this would happen.” He can tell Shu wants to reach for Mademoiselle, but he doesn’t. He stays where he is, next to Mika. “I thought it’d be me, however.”

That has Mika look up at him, momentarily ignoring the way his chest clenches. “Eh? Y’got flowers fer someone?”

As much as he doesn't mind the flowers all that much, Shu is different. He’s sure they’d be a burden to him.

“No, I don’t.” Mika sighs in relief. “But I was expecting them, for you.”

Mika wants to object. Part of him screams that he can barely be a doll, much less a lover, a partner—

And then it hits him.

“Yer… partner in art?”

Shu gets increasingly flustered, and this time, a high pitched voice answers him.

“He thought he was being subtle, Mika-chan, calling you his partner here and there,” Mademoiselle answers from her place on the kitchen table. “I would say not to tease him too much, but he’s very happy that you finally noticed!”

Mika flushes bright red, looking away from Mademoiselle and to Shu once more.

“Mademoiselle, stop this nonsense! I simply wish Kagehira to see himself as my equal. He’s improved greatly and proven himself as a member of Valkyrie. I’ve simply acknowledged his growth.”

“Oshi-san…” He watches as Shu tenses up, waiting for his next words, “are ya… do y’want me as yer partner?”

“Of course. As I said, you’re—”

“Nnah, not like that,” Mika sits up properly, looking at Shu directly. His words slur in embarrassment when he asks, “d’you want t’ date?”

Shu takes so long to answer Mika almost thinks he’s not going to. “Such a thing… we already live together, that is not so different from dating, is it?”

It’s not a yes, but it’s as close as he’s getting, Mika thinks, looking at Shu’s still-red face. “Mm, yer not wrong. As I thought, ‘m fine as long as I’m by Oshi-san’s side.”

Mademoiselle chimes in again (to hide Shu’s flustered response, he figures), “in any case, Mika-chan, how are you feeling? Do you think there are still any flowers in there?”

He’s about to shake his head, say that it’s fine, when he starts coughing again, another blossom spilling from his lips.

A white camellia. 

His brows furrow. Was that not enough for them? Even though Oshi-san did his best to convey his feelings, with Mademoiselle helping him, the flowers think it's not enough? Or maybe, did it not feel real for him?

Was it that he just couldn’t accept it?

He spits another violet, drying his lips with the back of his hand. He doesn’t look up at Shu this time, head lowered as he answers, “‘M sorry, Oshi-san. I dunno why I’m like this still. It should be fi—”

He’s interrupted by Shu’s hands on his face, and before he can process it, Shu’s lips are on his.

He closes his eyes instinctively, staying as still as possible while Shu presses their lips together. He can tell he’s inexperienced (they both are), but it doesn’t bother him. It’s _Oshi-san_. His Oshi-san, _kissing_ him. He’s touching Shu’s lips in a way he never thought he’d be able to, and they’re touching _back_ , on _his_ lips. He thinks he might go insane like this.

Before his brain can fry any longer Shu is pulling back, the tip of his nose and ears flushed.

And surprisingly, he is the first one to speak.

“That should do it, no?”

Mika realizes with a blink that Shu kissed him to prove to him and his damn flowers that it was mutual. That Mika _loves_ him, and that whatever they are—be it roommates, a couple, or even _married_ —Shu _loves him back_.

Mika finds himself gushing over it to them. “ _See?_ ” he laughs, “ _he likes me! He likes me back! His lips are so soft an’ he’s so cute all flushed like that an’ I wanna kiss him again an’ again an’_ —”

His throat closes up, and his eyes widen.

He doesn't understand.

He spits another two _different_ flowers, to his surprise. And just as quickly, the feeling in his chest is gone. He takes a deep breath, still looking at the flowers.

The first one, a full blossom and a few loose blood-red petals—a rose.

(Its meaning is so obvious he can’t help but be embarrassed.)

But the other one—

Two blossoms, both a deep pink, of what he realizes are sweet peas.

He scrambles his brain for the meaning, coming up empty.

“Sweet peas,” Shu finally says, a serious look on his face. “In hanakotoba, they mean _goodbye_.”

_Oh_.

“Are you feeling better, Kagehira?”

He nods. “Mhmm. But- I think that’s a present fer ya.”

Shu arches an eyebrow.

Mika blushes. “The rose. I think they meant I should give it t’ ya.”

“‘They’?” Shu’s exasperated look implies he already knows the answer, but Mika provides anyway.

“The flowers! They left a parting gift.”

“How morbid. It’s just like you to think a deadly disease gifts anything but suffering.” Shu gets up, sparing a glance at Mika. “Do not touch them. Sit down with Mademoiselle, I shall dispose of them accordingly.”

“But, Oshi-san, they’re—”

“If,” he starts, cheeks flushing again, “if you wish to gift me flowers, you can use other methods. These are unnecessary.”

Mika perks up with a bubbly “Roger that, Oshi-san!”, and sits down on the table.

“Ain’t that good?” he says with a warm smile, full of gratitude. “Y’got to do yer job. Thank ya kindly.”

The flowers can’t say anything back this time.

And he’s fine with that.

**Author's Note:**

> flower meanings (only listed the ones relevant to the fic and mika's feelings)
> 
> \- red spider lily: never to meet again/lost memory/abandonment (fitting for abandoned dolls in a haunted house right?)  
> \- lavender: faithfulness, devotion, silence  
> \- hibiscus: gentle  
> \- pansy: thoughtful/caring; (purple) you occupy my thoughts  
> \- violet: honesty. (purple) daydreaming, you occupy my thoughts  
> \- camellia: in love; (white) waiting  
> \- rose: in love;  
> \- sweet peas (as shu so helpfully explains): goodbye


End file.
